Robert Seamans 1918-2008

Robert Seamans is best known for his role in the Apollo Program, but he was also appointed by President Gerald Ford in 1974 to be the first administrator of the Energy Research and Development Administration, which was a precursor of the Department of Energy, to deal with the effects of the Arab oil embargo.

According to the New York Times, on his first day in the job he said "There is no way we can become self-sufficient in 10 years or any time in the future if we keep increasing the use of energy." Important elements in energy conservation, he said, would be the development of automobiles that get more than 40 percent better gas mileage and the design of buildings that would be less expensive to heat and cool. He told the Times in 1974: "We are never again going to have a cheap-energy situation, and we have got to use every string in our bow if we are going to maintain the lifestyle of this country."